January 25, 2026

HANDWORK: CELEBRATING AMERICAN CRAFT

Making connects. Making restores. Making transforms. Whether through garments, farming, stories, or systems, this work holds the power to reshape the world. 
— from the Project Threadways Manifesto

 

For 25 years, this organization has committed to making by hand in the U.S.—supporting artisan work, preserving generational knowledge and skills, and nurturing a domestic supply chain of 100% organic cotton.

 

97% of clothing sold in the U.S. is made overseas. Our organic cotton is sourced, ginned, spun, knitted, and dyed in the American South before behind hand-sewn by artisans in the Shoals. This plant, and its fiber, are rooted in the complicated history of our region. It shapes and inspires the work and informs the future of Project Threadways programs:

 

Making — Pieces in the Alabama Chanin Collection are crafted from American-made, organic cotton jersey by artisan sewers. Every garment is made to order to allow the most sustainable use of fabric.

 

Teaching — Education is a form of liberation. The School of Making workshops and instructional materials promote craft preservation and self-sufficiency.

 

Documenting — Project Threadways’ oral history collection features the voices of farmers, factory workers, machine operators, and artisan sewers in Alabama and beyond.

 

This year, Project Threadways is proud to join more than 250 organizations, educators, artists, museums, and makers for Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026, a nationwide initiative to showcase the importance of the handmade throughout history and in contemporary life.

 

Visit the Handwork 2026 website here, and follow @handwork2026 and #handwork2026 throughout the year to explore exhibitions and events, documentary work, and more stories that honor our nation’s diverse crafts and cultures.